First Mac - Some Qs

[jsdickinson]

Hi Guys,

Was looking for some advice on the new MacBook. I currently have a 3 year old Sony Vaio laptop. It has been a fantastic laptop during school and college. It has the following specs:

Operating System: Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2
System Model: VGN-S5HP_B
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1.73GHz
Memory: 512MB RAM
Hard Drive: 80GB
Display Card: NVIDIA GeForce Go 6400

It has performed well up until recently, but noticed some real slowdown on the new Football Manager demo. I have always like my friend's Macs and the look of the Mac OS (so much nicer than Vista!). Also love my iPod video and iTunes. On industrial placement this year and have a bit of money to spend so looking at a MacBook as a birthday present to myself.

I have a few questions should I go for the basic 2.0 GHz model or pay the extra for the 2.4GHz with the larger HDD, is it worth it? What's the situation like for Microsoft Office or iWork? Also will I still be able to use some of my specialist GIS programs which are only for Windows with BootCamp? And finally would it be better to buy in the UK with my student discount or get it in the US when I visit in a few weeks?

Thanks for any help you can give me.
JD

 

[zer0tails]

I think 2.0 to 2.4 is worth it if you want the backlit keyboard. The HDD size is not really an issue since you can easily upgrade to a bigger HDD for cheaper on your own.

You will be able to run office or iwork without a problem.

I vote buying in the UK using your student discount since the plugs are different in the U.S. Buy it now and bring it on your trip to the U.S.